The Chumash Indians, the area’s first inhabitants, referred
to this beautiful seaside valley as Mishopshno, meaning “correspondence,” as
it was a center of trade. In 1769 Spanish explorers led by Gaspar de
Portolá came upon a group of Chumash splitting redwood logs, hand-hewing
planks and constructing large, seagoing canoes they called tomols. Fr. Crespi had
christened the place San Roque, but the soldiers dubbed it La Carpinteria,
or the Carpenters Shop.
Spanish settlers, Mexican and Anglo-American pioneers, and immigrants from
many lands followed, farming the rich soil and putting down their family
roots in and around the village of Carpinteria.

Understanding and appreciating CarpinteriaValley history is an important
aspect of preserving the area’s rich cultural heritage. The Carpinteria
Valley Museum of History provides a fascinating glimpse into the Valley’s
past. A variety of unique exhibits examine the three major cultures
that have made this valley their homes: The Native American Chumash, the
early Spanish and Mexican settlers, and the American and immigrant pioneers
whose farms, shops, churches and schools laid the foundation of today’s
city.

Museum exhibits
include Chumash artifacts from the hunting and gathering culture of these
industrious Native Americans; a Californio adobe rancho scene reflecting the
great Mexican cattle-ranching period; and Victorian home furnishings; a farm
house kitchen; farming and blacksmith implements and saddles; a one-room
schoolhouse; early oil development and asphalt mining; agricultural history;
the village of Summerland, and much more. In the museum’s archives a rare
collection of historic photographs documents the town’s early businesses, its
notable citizens, its beautiful landscapes, and the men and women who
developed the farms and labored in the fertile fields. View
museum images here.

Involved in the spirit of the community, the Museum hosts special
exhibits, arts & crafts faires, school tours and children’s programs,
lectures, and last-Saturday-of-the-month flea markets.

Carpinteria Then and Now, a one-hour video chronicling the
history of Carpinteria Valley, is now available on a new DVD entitled The Carpinteria Collection, which also
has the story of the Salt Marsh Nature Park, Carpinteria Creeks, and a
celebration of the city’s 40th anniversary of incorporation.The DVD can be enjoyed by all ages and is
available at the Museum gift shop.